Cat Toothache Remedies Madison WI

Creature Comforts—Ask Daisy

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My cat, Sammy, seems to have a toothache. He’s already lost one tooth, and I’d hate to see the tooth fairy take another one. Any alternatives?

This is a problem? Don’t get me wrong, I love my feline cousins, but cats bite, and I, for one, would feel safer if a cat had fewer teeth at his disposal. Still, I always hate to see any friend of mine skip a meal. If his mouth hurts too much to finish his food, he may have sore gums and infected teeth. You’ll want to take care of these symptoms PDQ because they can lead to Feline Dental Disease (FDD), a serious and often overlooked problem among adult cats. If Sammy lets you look into his mouth, you’d notice that plaque from bacteria has built up on his teeth and hardened into tartar. Once that tartar accumulates, it weakens the structures that hold teeth in place, and the bacteria can move up into the gums, spreading the infection throughout the mouth. If you let the condition go unchecked, it can lead to sore, red gums and lost teeth.

FDD actually starts in the immune system. Excessive vaccinations and the repeated use of antibiotics weaken a cat’s defenses, making fighting bacteria in the mouth and the rest of the body more difficult. My homeopath colleague, Charles Loops, DVM, of Pittsboro, North Carolina, recommends avoiding vaccines and antibiotics as much as possible. If your cat never goes outside, ask your vet whether you need to vaccinate at all.

Diet can go a long way to prevent FDD. I like bones, and so do cats. Chewing uncooked animal bones helps break down the plaque on our teeth before it becomes tartar. Loops encourages the inclusion of bones from chicken wings and necks. Just make sure the bones are raw—splinters and shards of cooked bones can tear up the digestive system. No need to take the meat off, either. Fresh flesh will boost Sammy’s immune system and give him energy your curtains will never want to experience.

If Sammy has a lot of tartar buildup, he may need more than just bones to get rid of it—he might need a good tooth brushing. Not courageous enough to try that at home? Ask your vet to schedule a thorough dental cleaning for your cat, but to hold the anesthesia. Loops notes, “Many cats can benefit from tartar scraping without sedation. They don’t have to cooperate long to chip off the most offensive tartar, especially on the upper molars.”

Ultimately, if your cat’s tooth is diseased, loose, or broken, he’ll probably have to have it removed. This is a last resort, but necessary if Sammy is really suffering. In the meantime, if you feed your cat uncooked bones and a high-protein diet, you may save yourself and your cat a trip to the vet.

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